The Bonds of War
by Epicocity
Summary: Oneshot. "Because fighting a battle is different than fighting a war." Saber Tooth reflects on their loss in the Grand Magic Games to find the real reason Fairy Tail defeated them so spectacularly.


**A little insight into why Fairy Tail really won the Grand Magic Games from Saber Tooth's perspective. Spoilers through Chapter 338.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights belong to Hiro Mashima.**

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**The Bonds of War**

A Fairy Tail Fanfiction

"Fairy Tail's amazing, aren't they?" Sting said emphatically from within the Saber Tooth males' dressing room prior to the grand ball they were about to attend. "I'm hoping I can have a drink with Natsu-san tonight."

"Yeah, let's celebrate their victory, Sting-kun!" Lector said with a high five to his best friend.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch agreed before the Exceed turned to its best friend. "Rogue, don't you agree with Fro?"

"Hmm…oh, yes, of course," Rogue said with a kind smile. Suddenly a large hand clasped his shoulder and Rogue looked up to see Orga grinning at him.

"Don't look so glum, man," he tried to comfort the Shadow Dragon Slayer. "You still hung up about the you from the future?"

"No…well, yes," Rogue admitted with a scratch of his neck, "but that's not what I'm thinking about right now." Sting walked over and gave him a sudden thump on the back.

"Come on, Rogue, we're all friends here! You can talk to us."

"I guess that's what I'm thinking of," Rogue told the two of them. Both of them looked away, slightly discomfited with the topic. "We say that Saber Tooth had taken a step forward, but can any of us really attest to having that level of friendship? For so long, we've treated the guild as merely a process of weeding out the weak and leaving only the strong. Then, in the course of a week, Fairy Tail upended that philosophy entirely."

"It's true," Rufus said from his corner of the room. "My memory has only known of Saber Tooth's strength, but Fairy Tail crushed us like fallen leaves. It was quite the experience."

"Oh, come on guys…" Sting said morosely. "Why are we being all glum about this?"

"Hey, weren't you the one who gave up without a fight?" Orga asked, though it was more of a tease.

"Erk…well, you went down in one shot from Jura!"

"Hey, that guy's a monster," Orga defended, folding his arms across his burly chest.

"And I was up against five monsters," Sting shot back. He and Orga glared at each other a moment before throwing their heads back and laughing. However, when the laughter died down, they both felt hollow. "I don't know…just looking at them, I could tell I wasn't a match. They suffered so much ridicule and abuse at our hands yet they stood there, ready to fight me, even if they were on their last legs."

"Yes, Sting, we have memorized your performance." Sting was about to shoot back at Rufus with a retort but Rogue was determined to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"And that's what I don't understand," Rogue commented. "How could they stand there on their last legs and still make us doubt ourselves? How could they defeat us when we long thought we had surpassed them?"

"Wasn't it the strength of their bonds? Their friendship?" Orga asked, as though the answer were obvious.

"Fro thinks so, too!" Rogue looked at Frosch and smiled, patting his best friend kindly on the head.

"I know that," he said softly. "What I'm wondering is…I guess, how were their bonds so strong that even we would falter, despite being so set in our ways? When I stood before Gajeel, I had taunted him foolishly and he thrashed me. His power was on a completely different level from my own. How could he be so strong when we trained for seven years all for the purpose of surpassing them? You know what I mean by that, Sting."

"It was our guild philosophy," Sting said, folding his arms in a huff. "The old master didn't exactly believe in friendship. It was just battle after battle. Win, or else."

"But we all became friends," Rogue pointed out. "You and I worked more jobs together than I can remember. We killed our dragons and touted it to the world, but when it came down to it, we were beaten by Natsu alone."

"What are you trying to say, Rogue?" Orga asked, though his tone was neither angry nor indignant.

"I think there's a reason their friendship is so strong beyond just the nature of the guild. I think there's an answer for why their power so far outstripped our own."

"This is true," Rufus said. "I had memorized, or thought I had memorized, Gray's power during The Hidden and found it quite unremarkable. Then he utterly outclassed me with a strategy I had never thought of or memorized before or since. It really made my magic seem as nothing more than a copy."

"Tch, even Laxus was taking my hits like they were nothing, and I was using the same type of magic as him, only I'm a God Slayer," Orga admitted. "Hell, the guy took down Jura and I went down in one hit from that monster."

"And we were giving it our all during those battles…" Sting said despondently. "I was so sure I had surpassed Natsu-san, but he was brilliant. His mere voice gave me strength when we were fighting the dragons. I couldn't even damage mine, but Natsu made his scream in pain."

"Yeah, well, I don't blame you. That was one hell of a war," Orga said.

"That's what it is then," Rogue piped in, drawing the looks from his fellow guild members. "We lost because of a lack of experience."

"Lack of experience, my ass!" Orga countered.

"Have you forgotten that we were the top guild in Fiore until Team Tenrou came along?" Rufus asked. "We have fought plenty of battles and amassed plenty of skill."

"I know that, but we still lost to people who had lost seven years of time that we had," Rogue said with a breath. "Now I know why: because fighting a battle isn't the same as fighting a war."

"Now what is that supposed to mean?" Sting asked as he leaned against a wall.

"Think about it. We fought tons of low-level dark guilds but they all fell easily," Rogue began to explain. "None of them were a real threat. Those were just battles, skirmishes really. Fairy Tail's fought actual _wars_, though. First it was Phantom Lord, then they had that alliance that went up against the Oración Seis."

"I remember hearing about that," Rufus said. "I believe both Jura-san and Lyon-san were part of that alliance. It's no wonder they were so strong."

"Let's not forget the events at Tenrou Island either. If ever there was a war with a dark guild, the rumors from the Magic Council were that Fairy Tail's war with Grimoire Heart was spectacular."

"Yeah. There were even rumors that Dragneel defeated a Fire God Slayer despite being so outmatched," Orga commented. "I hadn't thought it possible for one to match the other until I saw those two little girls battling."

"Also, there was the fact that they fought Acnologia that same day," Rogue said, his tone becoming more and more depressed. "Sting and I ridiculed them for not being able to stop it, but after actually fighting real dragons, I'm surprised they lasted as long against that thing as they did in their battered state."

"Am I the only one not seeing the point of this, here?" Sting asked, his face slightly upset, but definitely confused.

"It's okay, Sting-kun, I don't understand either," Lector said.

"Fro, too." Rogue couldn't help but laugh at the obliviousness of the three.

"Their friendship and skills were tested in the crucible of war. I guess it's when you put your life on the line that you find the strength to do the things you need to. Until those dragons appeared, Saber Tooth had never fought a war, but Fairy Tail had survived at least three. Is it any wonder they could defeat a guild where the most dangerous thing it had faced was a magic competition?"

"Oh, I get it now…" Sting said in realization. "I guess we really were outshone. Ah, well, that doesn't matter. Saber Tooth will keep moving forward as a guild, and if Fairy Tail ever fights another war, then they can count on us to back them up."

"Think we could handle a war?" Orga asked with a smirk.

"We handled dragons, didn't we? And with our friends by our side, I think we can win and become better people for it."

"We'll trust in you then, guild master," Rufus said.

"Hey, none of that 'guild master' stuff! I'm still just Sting! Now let's go party!" Sting was the first to leave the room with Rogue right behind him. He instantly grabbed a bottle and went off yelling, "Natsu-san! Let's have a drink together!"

Rogue watched his friend go with a sigh as he saw Gajeel approaching. Yes, Fairy Tail had defeated Saber Tooth through its experience at fighting wars; at surviving them. But that loss gave Rogue hope that maybe, someday, they could use that loss to truly become what a guild was meant to be.

He just didn't know they'd have to fight a real war to make that happen.

_Fín_

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**Author's Note: Another introspective, this time into Saber's loss. I really wanted to explore the fact that it wasn't so much "Power of Frienship bullshit" as it was that Saber Tooth really hadn't fought anything of note. They had never faced aces like Jura and Lyon and they had never fought a war since Tartaros was laying low in those seven years. Org even said as much: there was no one dangerous enough to fight because Fairy Tail had gotten them out of the picture. So, that's just my two cents. Also, the last line is indeed a reference to the current arc of the manga. I hope you enjoyed, but even if you didn't, I'd greatly appreciate a Review and Dare to Be Silly.**

**Epicocity**


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